Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-06-22
man who has hid mr.

nit,a+orz go aSf acquainted with the
No @,+her - s railroad building than
,oct hsyira II Texas. Captain Pad
GRO atoms eeeonae versed in the initia
,nsbed Ass net been content, but has
,noir @Ato the higher grades of railroad
he .4ceri1t, until he mas, as president of
; Fort Worth and Rio Grande, built
Atf'y six piies of the best new railroad
"a tn e state, aud a road that is ultimately
TO 1ecome one of the most important in
tf e country, with the objective point at
iopolobampo, Mex.
When making the excursion with the
State Press Association over Captain
Faddock's road, we found the Captain at
leisure, sid ventured to say to him:
"Ceptair, am aware that there ere many
things connected with railroad building
| that is not usually given to the public,
but would like to ask you few ques-
tions, and such as you feel Gt liberty to
answer / shall be glad TO get, IS l have
recently become interested in railroad
, scheme that will materially affect my own
town, McGregor."
| The Captain seemed perfectly free to
talk and was in his pleasant mood, one
that commenced with his natal day and
he replied; al know much of the inside
of railroad building is Kept from the pub
! lie, but I never have been sworn in, but
have by long months and years worked
my way in and therefore what know is
at my disposal, and l am pleased to
| give you any information l can on the
| subject"
This is what the Captain then said:
"When first concluded to push this line
| through went to New York, expecting
that l could meet and soon perfect ne
EQUATIONS with capitalists and have nv
road under way in g few months. In
stead of that I found that such
men are IN seclusion and it
is simply az impossibility for stranger
TO see them, much less to interest them
to invest in railroad in the state OF
Texas. There are many obstacles to
be overcome, not seen at first, but real
fed fully further on" He remained in
New York for months, realizing that he
was getting & little nearer those secluded
capitalists every day, but the progress
, was SO slow that his people became
anxious and uneasy, but finally, after
spending several thousand dollars, ne
was able TO reach and interest the ears of
those who had money. Then the work
was begun, but now greater obstacles
taken or one dollar used until the CAPT
tslists should know that the showing
presented was correct, and no mans
word or officials certificate would satisfy
them. The report of their own private
engineer alone will suffice.
After some FIVE or SIX months careful
and dilligent work in New York one party
was so interested that he concluded to in
vestigate matters, and sent his civil en-
gineer, o B. Gallon of Boston, over the
proposed line from Fort Worth to Brown
wood. This was in July, 1856. The re-
port Of the engineer was so satisfactory
that on his return to New York the facts
were placed before capitalist in Phila-
delphia, VINO also became interested, and
soon Boston man ventured to loosen
his purse strings for the Texas enter
prise, and thus the capital was raised, the
company organized, and on December l,
1886, the work ives formally commenced,
Mr.. o. B. Gallon remslning on the
ground. Captain Paddock was elected
president, and the work has been pushed
rapidly ever since.
We ventpred TO ask President Paddock
about the real cost of building first
class road, and in reply he told US that all
their bridges and culverts are the very
best, that the road uses sixty-pound steel
rails. He says his road costs the con-
tractors $500 per mile for grading, and
if there was no rock it would cost 10 per
cent. less. The ironing with siXty-pouId
steel rails costs $4,000 per mile. The
bridges costs $1,000 per mile, but they are
the best wooden bridges He says Sl5,-
0Q0 per mile will cover the cost of q first |
class road, fully equipped with trst-class !
rolling stock, ell working tools and in |
good running order, including necessary
depot buildings.
The track is laiG tc within five miles of |
Granbury, in Hood county, and before |
reaching that point it will be necessary |
to bridge the Brszos river, which Will |
cost So, 900, and the work is now going |
on.
After hearing the Captain through, we
asked his opinion regarding the practical
bility of building the McGregor and Aus
tin Road by new company, and he was
positive in stating that if as good rail
rosd company as the st. Louis, Arkansas
and Texas Company would agree to COM
mence work the coming fall, it would be
safer and better to wait for that, for,
said he, 'no new company can be organ
lied and the capital interested sooner
than fall under the most favorable cir
In regard to right of way he says he
would rather have that and depot grounds
than 100000 cash bonus
We can assure our readers that the
above may be relied upon as g correct
coming as it does from one
who knows and from one with whom we
have had long and intimate acquaint-
ace, and s gentleman we'll and favorably
known in the business world.
1t will readily be seen by the above
that to construct the McGregor and Aus
tin road of eighty-tive miles will cost
81 ,275, 900, and that this amount cannot
be easily raised by new company Nc
Gregor Plaindealer.
The Arkansas Pass
The Arkansas Road is expected to reach